Manufacture of composite cigarettes



March 12, 19-63 DQw. MOLINS ETAL 3,080,871

MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTES Filed April 5, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1//VVEN7 OES v g 4/1531, 4 fl/W A TTORA/EXS' March 12., 1963 D. w. MOLINSETAL 3,080,871

MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5. 1960WVEA/TO/es Z a /4.,-

l, ATTOR/VFXS MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTES wi rw/dw' WM 64 yam-zw/a;

ATTOR/VEX) United States 3,080,871 MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTESDesmond Walter Molins, Cyril Best, and Tom Rowlands, all of Deptford,London, England, assignorsto Molins Machine Company Limited, London,England, a British company 7 Filed Apr. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 20,165 Claimspriority, application Great Britain Apr. 13, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-94)This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the manufactureof composite cigarettes, such as mouthpiece cigarettes, each of whichhas a component such as a stub or other mouthpiece portion at themouthpiece end of the cigarette.

According to the present invention there is provided a method ofproducing composite cigarettes on a continu-.

atent C Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be describedby way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an end view of one construction; FIGURE 2 is an end view'ofan alternative construction;

FIGURE 3 illustrates diagrammatically the operation of a construction inwhich two side-by-side rows of assemblages are formed,

FIGURE 4 is a plan view on the line IV--IV, FIG- URE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view on the line V--V,

' FIGURE 2;

The double lengths may be deflected sideways in such a way that theyform two side-by-side rows, the lengths contained in the two rows beingthen severed and formed into assemblages while continuing to move inside-by-side rows.

Further according'to the invention there is provided apparatus formaking composite cigarettes on a continuous rod cigarette-makingmachine, comprising means to form a continuous rod and move it endwise,means to sever the rod intolengths each of which is double the length ofthe tobacco portion of an individual composite cigarette,deflector-means to deflect the said double lengths sideways, means tosever the double lengths while they are moving sideways, means toseparate the severed parts endwise, means to insert mouthpiece portionsbetween the opposed ends of the separated parts, uniting means to unitethe said parts with the said mouthpiece portions to form assemblages andcutting means to subdivide the assemblages to form individual compositecigarettes.

The deflector-means may be arranged to deflect the double lengthssideways into two side-by-side rows, in which case separate means may beassociated with each row for severing and separating the lengths,inserting mouthpiece portions, and uniting the separated parts with themouthpiece portions. For example the deflectormeans may comprise afluted drum having peripheral flutes each arranged to receive anendwise-moving double length, and means associated with the drumtoarrest the endwise movement of the said lengths in such a Way thatalternate lengths entering alternate flutes have their endwise movementarrested sooner than do the other lengths, whereby the said doublelengths are formed into two rows in the flutes of the drum, successivelengths in each row being laterally spaced apart by two flute pitches ofthe drum.

The assemblages formed from the double lengths in one of the said rowsmay be moved endwise eg by an air jet, so as to position them inalternation with the assemblages in the adjacent row, thereby forming asingle row of sideways-moving assemblages to be presented to a singledisc knife which subdivides them into individual mouthpiece cigarettes.

with helical grooves whereby each such length is accelerated endwise inorder to separate it from the rod, and at the same time moved sideways,and is fed endwise into a flute of a fluted drum by which its sidewaysmovement is continued while its endwise movement is arrested.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a continuous cigarette rod formed on acigarette-making machine is severed by suitable cutoif mechanism (notshown) at intervals such as to provide double-lengths the'length of rodwhich mouthpiece cigarette. The double lengths 1 pass over a plate 2.Above the plate 2 is a helically grooved wheel 3 having a hollowinterior which contains an air valve around which the wheel rotates, andprovided with a suction pipe whereby suction is exerted at appropriatetimes through suction ports, not shown, in the grooved rim of the wheel.The wheel 3 is similar to the grooved wheel disclosed in theabove-mentioned provisional specification and drawings, but has a twostart helix and is somewhat larger.

The wheel 3 rotates with a peripheral speed a little in excess of thespeed of the continuous rod so as to separate the double lengths endwisefrom the rod.

A fluted drum 4, having peripheral flutes 5, is positioned beyond thewheel 3 and is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow at a suitablespeed for successive flutes 5 to receive successive lengths 1 from thehelical wheel 3, The length of the drum 4 may be equal to the length ofa double length 1.

A fixed guide 6 is located adjacent that end of the.

drum nearest the wheel 3, and a similar guide, not shown, is mountedadjacent the opposite end of the drum and extends further to the right(as viewed in FIGURE 1) than the guide 6 so as to act as an end stop forlengths -1 moving along the flutes 5. The guide 6 also acts as an endstop to check rebounding of the lengths 1. An arcuate guide 7 extendsaround the lower part of the drum and is suitably slotted to accommodatea rotating disc knife 8, which extends through the guide into a groove 9extending around the drum midway along its length. The knife is providedin order to sever the double lengths 1 into single lengths.

Two small rollers 10, only one of which is visible in FIGURE 1, aremounted adjacent the drum 4, being located in apertures in the guide 7.These rollers are oppositely inclined to the axis of the drum 4 and arearranged to engage cylindrical surfaces of cigarette rod lengths in theflutes 5, and to rotate in opposite directions such that theirperipheral surfaces urge the severed single lengths apart from eachother along the flutes 5.

A stub-inserting wheel 11 is located midway along the length of the drum4 and projects through a further aper ture inthe guide 7. The wheel 11has peripheral flutes 1that is, lengths each double is required for anindividual.

12, which receive double-length stubs orother mouthpiece portions fromany suitable source and from which the stubs are transferred into theflutes 5 between the separated single-lengths of cigarette rod. Astripper element (not shown) extends into a peripheral groove in thewheel 11, to ensure that the stubs remain in the flutes 5.Alternativeiy, the wheel 11 may be narrower than the length of thestubs, and the aperture in the guide 7 may be wide enough at the entryend to enable stubs to be carried through it by the Wheel 11, but toonarrow at the other end to enable them to move away from the drum 4 withthe wheel 11, so that they are stripped from the wheel by the guide 7.

Just beyond the wheel 11 are two guideslZa (only one of which is shownin FIGURE 1) arranged at opposite ends of the drum 4 and converging soas to engage opposite end-s or the rod lengths and cause them to movetowards each other and into endwise abutment with the centrallypositioned stubs.

A rotatable transfer wheel 13 provided with radial suction arms 14 ismounted adjacent the drum 4 and is rotated in the d rection shown by thearrow so as to receive groups of cigarette rod lengths and stubs fromthe drum. The arms 14 have suction ports 15 communicating with a fixedsuction chamber 16 which is so arranged that suction is applied throughthe ports 15 at desired times. At opposite ends of the wheel 13 androtatable therewith are mounted two discs 17 having radial springfingers 18' which are biassed inwardly, that is towards each other, andare held outwardly by cams 19 which extend just short of the positionwhere a suction arm 14 first comes into engagement with a cigarette andstub group in a flute 5. At that posilion, as can be seen from FIGURE 1,the suction port 15 of that particular arm 14 is not yet incommunication with the chamber 16. Thus the cigarette lengths in theflute 5 are free to move endwise under the influence of the springfingers 18 which are at that point released from the cam-s 19 and moveinwardly. of the cigarette lengths and stub to be effected just beforethey are suctionally gripped by the arms 14 and carried away from thefluted drum 4.

The arms 14 and the guide 7 are suitably slotted to enable the arms topass the guide.

The arms 14 carry the abutted groups towards a suc-- tion drum 20 and afixed plate 21 having a concave surface opposed to the surface of thedrum 20. The plate 21 is slotted as shown to allow the arms 14 to passthrough it while transferring the groups into the space between theplate and the suction drum. At the position of transfer, the cam 19urges the spring fingers outwardly to release the ends of the groups.

The suction drum 20 carries on its surface spaced uniting bands 22 whichare severed from an adhesive-coated web 23 by a knife roller 24. Thedrum 20 rotates with a peripheral speed in excess of the linear speed ofthe web so that the web slips on the drum and the cut portions are thusspaced apart. The parts are timed so that each group is fed into thespace between the drum 2% and the plate 21 a little ahead ofa band 22.The relative movement between the drum surface and the surface of thefixed plate 21 causes each group to roll over a band 22, which thusbecomes wrapped around and unites the group, forming an assemblage.

The united group, or assemblages, are transferred into flutes of a wheel25 which is grooved to receive a disc knife 26. The knife severs theassemblages through their mouthpiece portions, thus producing individualmouthpiece cigarettes, which are stripped from the flutes of the drum bya ramp 2'7, and are delivered to a conveyor of any suitable kind.

An alternative construction is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3.

In this construction, the drum 104 is arranged to rofate in the oppositedirection to that in which the corre- This enables a final endwiseabutment.

4 spending drum rotates in the arrangement described above. Consequentlythe helically grooved wheel 103 is arranged to deflect the doublelengths towards the right as viewed in FIGURE 2, so that they movesideways with the drum.

The drum 164 is at least twice as long as a double length severed fromthe rod, and every second flute 105 is provided with a stop member abouthalfway along its length, while the intermediate flutes have stopmembers in the region of their ends remote from the wheel 103. Thus asdouble lengths of rod are fed into successive flutes of the rotating rum194, one length will move endwise substantially to the end of its flute,while the next length is brought to rest halfway along the flute. Thusthe drum 104 conveys the double lengths in two side-by-side rows, thelengths of one row being staggered relatively to those of the other row.This is illustrated dia rammaticaly in FIGURE 3, where a length 101a isshown occupying one row, while the succeeding length 10111 to come fromthe wheel 103 occupies an adjacent row and is laterally offset from thelength 101a.

The stop members in the flutes 105 are not illustrated in FIGURE 2 butthey are similar to the stop members disclosed in the provisionalspecification and drawings mentioned above. The double lengths 101a areillustrated in FEGURE 2 in full line while the lengths 101b are shown indotted lines.

Adjacent the long drum 104 are mounted two coaxial fluted drums 106having peripheral flutes 107 and 108. These two drums are identical inconstruction but are angularly positioned so that the flutes 107 areoffset from the flutes 103 as shown, the flutes 107 being arranged toregister with lengths 101a while the flutes 108 register with lengths1tl1b.

The drums 106 have suction ports extending inwardly from the flutes 1&7and 108 to fixed suction chambers 109 within the drums so that as thelatter rotate, suction is exerted for a short period through the ports.Opposite these chambers are two side-by-side rotating disc knives 110extending into peripheral grooves 111 in the drum-s 106.

The lengths 101a, 1111b respectively are transferred from the flutes 105into flutes 107, 108 respectively by strippers or guides 112 whichproject into peripheral grooves 113 in the drum 105. As they approachthe knives 110 suction is applied through the ports communicating withtheir respective flutes and they are thus securely held while beingsevered. The suction is cut off after the severing operation, and thesevered pairs of lengths are then engaged by two pairs of inclinedrollers 114, one of which is visible in FIGURE 2, and which areidentical with the rollers 10 shown in FIGURE 1 and act to separatelengthwise the two severed parts of each double length 101a and 1101b.

A pair of stub-inserting wheels 115, similar to the wheel 11 in FIGURE1, are arranged adjacent the drums 106, and feed stubs S, see FIGURE 3,into the flutes 107 and 108 between the severed and separated parts ofthe double lengths 101a, 1011).

Two transfer wheels 116, 117, having suction ports extending as shownfrom peripheral flutes to internal suction chambers, remove groups ofcigarette lengths and stubs from the flutes 107 and 103 respectively,and convey them towards a pair of suction drums 118, each of which isidentical with the drum 20, FIGURE l. A member 119, corresponding infunction to the member 21, FIGURE 1, has a concave surface opposed tothe drum surface. The groups are delivered between the drums 113 andmember 115 and are immediately gripped therebetween and caused to roll.Since these groups roll along between the drums 118 and member 119 athalf the peripheral speed of the drums, the latter are arranged torotate with a peripheral speed more than twice that of the transferwheels 116, 117 so that the groups will move away from the latter assoon as they start to roll.

Suctionis cut oil from the groups just before they are delivered betweenthe drums 118 and member 119. End pressers 120 engage the opposite endsof each group as soon as the suction is cut oil? and move towards eachother so as to bring the component parts of each group into closeendwise abutment just before they are gripped between the drums 118 andmember 119,

The'rolling action imparted to the groups of cigarette lengths and stubscauses them to roll over adhesive uniting bands 122' carried by thedrums 113, and the bands are thus wrapped around the groups and unitethem.

The united groups, or assemblages, are delivered from the member 119into successive flutes of a further long fluted drum 123 having 'flutes124.

are staggeredor offset in the flutes 124 just as the double 4 lengths101a and 101b were in the flutes 1&5 of the drum 104. 'For, conveniencein" '-illustration these assemblages i are indicated as assemblages 125a(corresponding to lengths 101a.) shown in full line in flutes i124justbeyond ing to lengths 10111) shown in dottedlines. v

A nozzle lfib located close to one end of the is arranged to discharge ajet of air lengthwise along the flutes 124 as the latter moves'pas't thenozzle. The air jet blows the assemblages 125b lengthwise along theirthe member 119, and as assemblages 12512 (correspond I the 'endwisemoving double lengths sideways and to ardouble lengths sideways in twoside-by-side rows, said last named means including deflector means todeflect range them in said rows, means to sever the double lengths Theassemblages in both rows while they are moving sideways, means toseparate the sever-ed parts endwise, means to insert mouthpiecepo-rtions between the opposed ends of the separated parts, unitingumeansto unite the said parts with the said mouthpiece portions to formassemblages and cutting means to subdivide the assemblages to formindividual composite cigarettes.

v 2. Apparatus as claimed in' claiml, wherein the deflector-means;comprises a fluted drum having peripheral flutes and thereby lines themupwith the assemblages 125a, thus producing a single'row of assemblages.For

this reason in FIGURE 2 all the assemblages shown (from the position ofthe nozzle 126 onwards are shown in full lines. i A rotary disc knife127 severs these assemblages through their mouthpiece portions, thusforming individual mouth- U piece cigarettes which are stripped fromtheflntes 124 by I f guides 128 projecting into grooves in the drum 123,and

roll down the guides on to a conveyor (n'ots'hown) or -are dealt with inany other" desired way. i

The sequence of the operations just described is diagram matical-lyillustrated in FIGURE 3. j p

The construction described ,above with reference to FIGURE 2 may bemodified by employing a relatively short drum .104, as in-FIG URE 1-,and feeding the double lengths in a single row instead of in twoside-by-side rowsg; In that case only a single" drurn lil 6-isrecpii'red, and only one stub-jinsertingjwheel 116.2anda'si1igle sue-.tiondrum 11s, and the relative speeds'or thedrum 104 .45

and 111 6 are suitably -adjusted to enable'len gths to be transofthedrum. j H

3.' Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the as-- flutes eacharranged to receive an endwise rnoving double length, and meansassociated with the drum to arrest the endwise movement ot-the' saidlengths in such a way that alternate lengths entering alternate fluteshave their endwise movement arrested sooner than do the other lengths,whereby the said double'len-gths are formed into two rows in the flutesof the drum, successive lengths in each row being laterally spaced-apartby two flutepitches semblages formed from the double lengthsin' one ofsaid rows are moved endwise, so as to position them in alter nationwiththe assemblages in the adjacent row, thereby forming a single row ofsideways-movingassemblages to be presented to a single disc knife whichsubdivides them into individual mouthpiece cigarettes. e

References Cited in the file of thispatent v UNITED STATES PATENTSFOREIGN PATENTS Franc e 1 Jan. 10; 1923 Italy Feb. 13, 1957 Edwards eta1 May 23, 1935

1. APPARATUS FOR MAKING COMPOSITE CIGARETTES ON A CONTINUOUS RODCIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINE, COMPRISING MEANS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS ROD ANDMOVE IT ENDWISE, MEANS TO SEVER THE ROD INTO ENDWISE MOVING LENGTHS EACHOF WHICH IS DOUBLE THE LENGTH OF THE TOBACCO PORTION OF AN INDIVIDUALCOMPOSITE CIGARETTE, MEANS TO MOVE THE SAID DOUBLE LENGTHS SIDEWAYS INTWO SIDE-BY-SIDE ROWS, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS INCLUDING DEFLECTOR MEANSTO DEFLECT THE ENDWISE MOVING DOUBLE LENGTHS SIDEWAYS AND TO ARRANGETHEM IN SAID ROWS, MEANS TO SEVER THE DOUBLE LENGTHS IN BOTH ROWS WHILETHEY ARE MOVING SIDEWAYS, MEANS TO SEPARATE THE SEVERED PARTS ENDWISE,MEANS TO INSERT MOUTHPIECE PORTIONS BETWEEN THE OPPOSED ENDS OF THESEPARATED PARTS, UNITING MEANS TO UNITE THE SAID PARTS WITH THE SAIDMOUTHPIECE PORTIONS TO FORM ASSEMBLAGES AND CUTTING MEANS TO SUBDIVIDETHE ASSEMBLAGES TO FORM INDIVIDUAL COMPOSITE CIGARETTES.